Thursday, December 10, 2015

The Problem with "Wisdom"

The Problem with "Wisdom" when it comes from old text written long ago, is that the world was a horrible place long ago.

People did horrible things to each other, leaders manipulated people using lies stacked upon lies and death came far too quickly. This statement, is still far too simple compared to the the state of things in humanities past. Just study history.

Why then, would you look to a text written during a historical time where human rights were being trampled on to guide yourself in today's world? Why, when we actually have a chance at global peace?

How does a story, written hundreds of years ago, telling you to kill someone if they violate a rule not cause you to lose trust for that story or the book that it is contained within?

"Context", that is what I am told, "context" needs to be considered. NO, I would argue, its not about context. It's about setting out new stories that help us to consider the challenges of values and ethics in society for tomorrow.

We continue to have a large portion of the world's population that are vulnerable to manipulation and we must stop looking to historical texts as if they were written today. To study history in earnest is to learn from the mistakes and abuse of humankind's past.

If you are educated and can study history for what it is, then you must write new stories to give humanity's future stories that are applicable to the future ahead. Stories without violence, but filled with collaboration and discussion. Stories without hatred, but filled with community and fellowship. Stories without greed, but filled with success in sharing the common good.

We can learn from historical texts but we must not chain ourselves to the same fates that those who wrote them faced.